In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel bans that has brought, Greece informed that the shipping trade at the Port of Piraeus is still not impacted, as it remains operational. According to Xinhua, Greek port authorities haven’t put any restrictions to the import or export of cargo at the moment.
Although the Greek government has shut down all the retail businesses except from supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, petrol stations and food delivery services.
“Piraeus port has not yet seen any effects from the measures, or the virus itself. In fact we have already seen a strong start to the year, with cargo handled rising by 10 percent in the first couple of months compared to the same period last year”…as Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) spokesman Nektarios Demenopoulos reported to Xinhua.
With no restrictions set on cargo trade, imports and exports are still continuing, but the future of the outbreak remains completely uncertain.
At the same time the country has banned all the cruise ships from docking at the region’s ports, while puts everyone arriving from abroad into a 14-day quarantine, in an effort against the disease.
“The ban on cruise ships until April 15 is likely to affect Piraeus, especially if it is extended further. The main impact on Piraeus is likely to come from cruise tourism” …Mr. Nektarios Demenopoulos concluded.
